Since taking over the Wharton High School volleyball program in 2009, coach Eric Barber has suffered just one losing season. It was the year he took over the squad.
The Wildcats have been winners ever since, with varying levels of playoff success.
Still, even Barber admits there’s something special about this particular group.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photos)
“It’s just a team that has really been able to solidify over the last couple of seasons they’ve been together,” Barber said. “It’s one of those things where it all kind of comes together at the right point, and you play well.”
They have consistently played well, opening the year with nine straight wins and winning 17 of their first 18 matches. They closed their season with a 3-0 victory over Armwood and enter the 7A-8 tournament with a 20-3 record, a perfect 7-0 district record and plenty of momentum.
The team has a rare combination of talent and experience, Barber said.
He has great players who have come up through the system, and who now have the experience to go along with their abilities.
The team has also overcome setbacks.
Tyler Sroufe, their starting setter and a college-bound athlete, suffered a season-ending injury two weeks into the season. Wharton has absorbed that loss and continued winning, giving the team confidence that it can achieve great things despite missing such a talented player.
Players have stepped up on defense and blocking, which had already been a hallmark of Wharton volleyball since Barber arrived. This year, they have the top two blockers in the district in Lindsey Schaible and Allie Schneider.
Teamwork is another quality the Wildcats possess.
According to Barber, teamwork is the most important characteristic a team can have on a volleyball court.
“I don’t know of another sport that requires so much teamwork and so much focus as one unit as the game of volleyball. When it works like it’s supposed to, it’s wonderful to watch. It’s an amazing game to see,” Barber said.
Senior Chanelle Hargreaves likes what she sees from her team this year.
“I think this year, a lot of us are more mature. We all know what needs to be done to be successful,” she said.
Part of that success comes from club volleyball, where most varsity players spend their time in the offseason. That means they’re thinking about the game nearly year-round and staying focused on improving their skills.
And, for those who play together at the club level, it creates even more synergy between the players that helps when they’re back playing for their school.
Hargreaves has played for the varsity team all four years of high school, and said that she’s matured along with the team.
“Freshman year, I was just very jittery and freaking out when stuff went wrong,” she recalled. “Now I think I’m more relaxed.”
As a team leader, Hargreaves is the one motivating her fellow players, reminding them they can rally from a bad point or game.
Not that Wharton has had too many bad points or games this season. But, Hargreaves doesn’t simply want a good record dominating easy opponents. The challenging matches are the best ones for the team, she said, because it keeps their communication skills strong. Against easier teams they might get away with winning based on sheer talent. But, if they’re going to do well against elevated competition in the postseason, they’ll have to be on top of their game.
If they can do that, Hargreaves thinks the team has bright prospects in the playoffs.
“We can win state, I think,” she said. “We have the talent on this team to go really far. We just need to stay working together as a team.”
Barber knows there are a lot of games between the regular season and that kind of success. No matter how far they get in the playoffs (Wharton reached the regional quarterfinals last year before losing to eventual state champion Manatee), he has confidence in his players, in the program, and in Wharton volleyball’s continuing tradition of success.
“We’re very grateful, and we feel very blessed with how we’ve grown as a program over the last six or seven years,” he said.
Published October 21, 2015
